October Afternoon

Multi-photo Christmas Layout + Cut File

Hi everyone! Alex here with you today. 

I don't know about you, but I find Christmas photos a little hard to scrap. They are often pretty dark and messy with a lot of things going on on them. Therefore, I chose to keep my background light and bright and play with little details instead. I also chose to use a lot of small photos. They give a little lighter look with some white space in-between them.

I have used the lovely Under The Tree line for this layout.

Love this cute banner from the stickers sheet. 

To make my white background a little more interesting, I cut out a big Christmas Tree made of hearts (also in white). I like the "airy" look white on white creates.

The size of my tree trunk was perfect for the "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" stamp from the Under The Tree stamp set. It's all in the details, right? :-)

I would like to share the Christmas Tree cut-file I designed with you. You can download the cut-file HERE. Have fun with it!

Thanks for stopping by today! 
Have a lovely weekend!
♥

 

ETA: Thank you for letting me know that the link didn't work. It worked for me the first time I tested it. I have updated the link now, so hopefully you'll be able to grab the cut-file :-) Sorry!

 

Tuesday Inspiration: Layers upon Starry Layers

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! Emily here with today's inspiration piece! When I was searching for inspiration, I came across this fun photo of star confetti:

(source)

I was hesitant to use this for my layout because I've already used stars on a number or layouts for October Afternoon, including this one using stars cut from map paper. After searching for awhile without any luck, I decided the star confetti was meant to be!  I pulled out a few different star punches and began punching away at stars on every piece of blue, red, gray, and orange patterned piece of paper I could find. These colors matched my chosen photo, which is of my kiddos on Halloween this year. I also included a few plain black stars that I cut from cardstock. When I had a large collection of stars, I literally dumped them on my page into a giant pile and then spread them out around my paper. I wanted the layout to be very multi-dimensional and I didn't want the stars to be perfectly placed or adhered to the background. 

After sticking all the the stars down (definitely the longest part of my process) I added my photo on top of the stars and cut out a title using my die cut machine. I wanted a big, bold title, so I used black cardstock and a very simple font for my title, "Fun." The title comes from a Facebook status I included with this photo.  I had hoped I could convince my kids to have matching costumes this year like they have had for the past few years. However, they all had their own ideas, and I was a little bit sad about their mismatched costumes. After a fun night of trick-or-treating I concluded, and posted, "I have reached the point in parenthood where I realize that it doesn't matter if they all match, it only matters that they all have fun."

Finally, I added a few simple embellishments to my layout. Let's face it, it's a pretty crazy layout already, I didn't feel like I needed to add a ton more. I even opted not to include my journaling, because I couldn't find a good place to put it. Instead, I will simply write it on the back of my layout, which is something I frequently do! 

 

Here is a look at my final layout. I love good color combinations, and I can honestly say this is the first time that I have ever used red, orange and blue...it might be a new favorite!

I would love to see how you are inspired by these fun confetti stars! Upload your project to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon. Happy Tuesday, and happy scrapping!

2015 Santa Sack Sale - Week 1!

Our 6^th Annual Santa Sack Sale has begun!  Be one of the first people this year to get your hands on a wide variety of October Afternoon products at a huge discount!

Each Santa Sack™ contains many products from a variety of October Afternoon™ lines.  Get over $110 retail value of merchandise for the bargain price of just $39.99 plus shipping.

As usual, there will be no duplicates from any other weeks!

BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS Option!

This year, for the first time, we are offering a BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS option and SAVE with COMBINED SHIPPING!  Just select the BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS option below to instantly purchase all four weeks of 2015 Santa Sacks™.  If you select this option, all four of your Santa Sacks™ (one from each week) will be reserved for you and shipped to you together in a single box on December 11!  Save BIG on shipping!

COMBINED International Shipping!

Back by popular demand, we are offering COMBINED SHIPPING for ANY multiple-kit INTERNATIONAL orders.  If you wish to place an INTERNATIONAL order with combined shipping on multiple kits, please e-mail us at  [email protected]

Please note that if you select the BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS option, there is already a combined INTERNATIONAL shipping rate provided.  There is no need to contact us to get your combined rate in this case.

 See PayPal buttons below...

 

Buy WEEK 1 now with the PayPal button below:

Sold Out!

Individual Santa Sacks™ typically ship within 2 business days following receipt of order.

To combine shipping, please e-mail us at [email protected].

 

Buy ALL 4 WEEKS now with the PayPal button below:

ALL 4 WEEKS of Santa Sacks™ ship to you together in a single box on December 11!

Combined shipping rates for this option are already supplied in PayPal.

All sales are final.

 

Monday Challenge: Touch of Gold

Hey everyone! Roree here with a Monday challenge for you.

Metallics are pretty hot right now, so I thought it would be fun to challenge you to add a touch of gold to your next project.

I created this card for the challenge:

I used the new Under the Tree collection. I stamped the "First Snow" Background Stamp over a panel of Family Gathering patterned paper using embossing ink. I covered the stamped image with gold embossing powder and set it with a heat tool.

I added a strip of cardstock and a gold polka dot bow below the center of the card and layered one of the "birds on a branch" stickers from the Shape Stickers sheet just above. I stamped the "Joy" sentiment from the Under the Tree Clear Stamps set onto a label sticker with embossing ink, covered the stamped image with gold embossing powder, and set it with a heat tool. I layered the label sticker at the bottom of the "birds on a branch" sticker and added an enamel heart and dot from the Pop Drops pack to finish.

If you would like to take on today's challenge, please share your creation by linking it on Instagram with the hashtag #octoberafternoon, along with tagging @octoberafternoon, so we can see! You can also share your projects on our OA Facebook wall or the OA Flickr gallery.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

2015 Santa Sack Sale!

Our 6^th Annual Santa Sack™ sale begins at noon on Monday of next week!

What is the Santa Sack™ sale?  Each week, for 4 weeks, we will be offering a different box filled with an assortment of October Afternoon™ products and lines.  Take advantage of this grab-bag type deal to stock up on the October Afternoon™ products you love.

Get over $110.00 retail value of merchandise every week for ONLY $39.99 plus shipping!

Each Santa Sack™ contains many products from a variety of October Afternoon™ lines.  As usual, there will be no duplicates from any other weeks!

BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS Option!

This year, for the first time, we are offering a BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS option and SAVE with COMBINED SHIPPING!  Just select the BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS option at checkout to instantly purchase all four weeks of 2015 Santa Sacks™.  If you select this option, all four of your Santa Sacks™ (one from each week) will be reserved for you and shipped to you together in a single box on December 11!  Save BIG on shipping!

COMBINED International Shipping!

Back by popular demand, we are offering COMBINED SHIPPING for ANY multiple-kit INTERNATIONAL orders.  If you wish to place an INTERNATIONAL order with combined shipping on multiple kits, please e-mail us at  [email protected]

Please note that if you select the BUY ALL FOUR WEEKS option, there is already a combined INTERNATIONAL shipping rate provided.  There is no need to contact us to get your combined rate in this case.

Click HERE to download the flyer shown above.

Be sure to check back at noon on Monday, November 23^rd for Week 1 of our sale.  Remember, quantities are limited – shop early to ensure you get one of your own!

OA Under the Tree | Lunch Notes and December Daily Cards

Hi friends! Happy Friday!! It's Janice here with my last project as your October guest designer.  I've thoroughly enjoyed creating fun and simple projects using October Afternoon's lastest holiday collection, Under the Tree. 

I've put notes in my 10 y.o.'s lunch since he was in preschool and I continue to do so.  I try to write him a note about once a week.  I decided my last post was going to be lunch notes using Under the Tree.

I also created cards that can be used for your December Daily album or just a collection of Christmas memories.  You can use them as title cards, journaling cards, or even just placing a small picture on it and putting it in a pocket page.  There are so many options.   

I timed this project like I did last week's (confetti gift tags).  Again, all of these cards were created in about an hour. 

I rounded the corners for a cleaner look.

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for dropping by.  I hope that you are able to find some time to be crafty for the holiday season.  Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

Janice

Tuesday Inspiration: Christmas for Halloween

Hello hello my fellow October Afternoon fans, Mou here today with your Tuesday Inspiration!

You guys have seen the new and merry Under the Tree collection I'm sure. Look at these papers... it is clearly a Christmas Collection!

 

And now, look again...

I suddenly see Halloween in them. HOCUS POCUS!

And to prove my point that you can be totally inspired by Christmas papers to scrap Halloween and other autumn-themed photos, let me share with you our visit to the pumpkin patch in search of a jack-o-lantern.

 

The papers I used here are: Carol Singing, Working-Merry Making, and Candle Lighting, all from Under the Tree collection. I even pulled some of the blue-green from Working-Merry Making when I hand cut my fall leaves. Here are some close-ups of my layout.

So, what will you scrap with this collection beyond Christmas?

Designer Challenge | Mix Old and New Collections

It is really hard to pick a favorite line from October Afternoon, but I will admit that I am still hoarding every last piece of the Witch Hazel collection!  I picked another new collection to see how well I could mix the old and new collections together.  Here's what I came up with!

Each tag is made up of two tags, one larger and one smaller using a combination of pattern paper from Saturday Mornings and cardstock.  By having one larger and one smaller tag layered on top of each other, it really made creating the layered look super quick and fun!  You can see here on my little girl witch, the Saturday Mornings Toast paper and Coffee paper.  Then I just layered the little girl witch, the poison label from Witch Hazel, and added the spoon and fork from Saturday Mornings!  For any part of the stickers that hang off, I applied a brush of baby powder to them to take away the stickiness. 

 

Next, is the star witch herself!  You may not be able to see the stitching from the front, but on each tag, I did a zig zag stitch in black thread.  I did this for texture and to have the strings hang loose.  I also added the same stitching to the ephemera witch card I used under Witch Hazel here on this tag.  Peeking behind the top white tag, you can see I used part of the tree sticker, and behind that is the same Saturday Mornings Coffee pattern paper from the first tag.  To finish her off, I just added the chipboard "BEWARE!".

I had to work in one of the little kids from the Saturday Mornings Syrup paper.  I think this paper would be perfect for a Halloween layout as well.  I loved the cat from the ephemera pack, but since I wanted that paper to show, I trimmed just the cat part of that card to adhere on either side of my tag.  I still have the letter stickers from the Witch Hazel collection so added "boo," then finished it off with a chipboard button, and stickers from the collection.  Then added the cloud sticker from Saturday Mornings.  You can see more of the stitching here since I didn't layer too much on top.

Each tag is finished with a simple bow in black to attach to treats for my daughter's teachers.  I would buy every piece of this collection again I think.  And I love how well it works with Saturday Mornings.  Hope you are inspired to pull out your stash of OA collections and see what you can come up with.  I would love to see!  Be sure to upload your work to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon.  Hope you have a great week!

Under the Tree: Confetti Gift Tags | Guest Designer : Janice Matsunaga

Janice here with you today to share a fun project I created using the holiday line Under the Tree.  I found my inspiration here on Pinterest. I love the simplicity of this project and that the supplies used to create these confetti gift tags are items most crafters can find in their stash: glitter, twine, eyelets, eyelet setter, any type of a plastic sleeve.

I started with an 8 1/2 x 11 baseball card page protector.  I sewed straight lines along the sides and bottoms. This top row was my trial run and I made adjustments after sewing the top closed. 

I trimmed some cards so they could float around in the pockets.  Except for the glitter, all the pocket fillers are found in the Under the Tree line. 

After sewing the top of the pockets closed, I cut each individual one.  Then I added the eyelets and twine.  To personalize the gift tags, I added names using stickers and tags and placed them on top of the pockets. 

I was curious to see how long this project would take me from start to finish. As it turns out, it was almost exactly an hour.  

 So, set aside an hour to make these fun and pretty gift cards.  They can also be repurposed as book markers, sent with a gift card or put into your December Project Life.  Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

Janice

Designer Challenge: Non-holiday layout featuring holiday product

Hi! Emily here with a designer challenge for you! I am loving the brand new Under the Tree collection, but I have to be honest, I'm just not quite ready to jump onto the holiday bandwagon yet!! Luckily, the papers and colors in this collection can easily be used for both holiday and non-holiday projects!  I chose a photo that included some red so that I could use the red papers that come in this collection. My six year old daughter completed her first triathlon at the end of the summer. It was her first competitive sporting evert ever and she was ecstatic at the finish line (and, I should mention, not even tired, crazy kid!). My husband snapped this photo of her right as she was coming out of "chute." I love how realistic the event organizers made the entire triathlon.

I chose red, gold, blue, and black as my color scheme, which worked well with my daughter's red shirt in the photo. I also included a lot of stars to imply that my little athlete is our own super star! I love the idea of using lots of stars without actually using the word "star" in my layout.   The little gold stars on the Merry Making patterned paper were a perfect backdrop. I also included some star paper from last year's December Story kit.  Because the background is a little busy, I decided to outline all of my elements in black to make them stand out. I found a few non-holiday elements that matched my color scheme, including a little "3" tag from the Ephemera package which was perfect for this layout! I think my favorite embellishment is the sweet little "A good memory" tin pin that also included a star!

Above the photo, I added a little flare of stars (stickers and pop drops)  as though they were confetti flying out of her hands at the end of the finish line.

I cut a bold title out of black cardstock using the Pacifico font and added a few lines of journaling near the top lefthand corner. Overall, it's a fairly simple layout that includes a few fun visuals!  

Here's a look at the final product:

How are you feeling about Christmas?  Too soon to scrap the holidays? I'd love to see your take on some non-holiday layouts using our Under the Tree collection! Upload your work to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon. Happy Thursday, and happy scrapping!